This Date in Rock Music History: August 29

1958:  Alan Freed's  Big Beat Show 4th anniversary concert premiered at the Fox Theater in Brooklyn, New York after being turned down by the Paramount.  Frankie Avalon, Bill Haley & the Comets and Jimmy Clanton performed.

1959:  The Quarrymen got a break when the Les Stewart Quartet got into a clash amongst themselves and refused to play at the Casbah Coffee Club in Liverpool.  George Harrison, John Lennon and Paul McCartney played in their place and after the show, the group was hired by owner Mona Best to play regular Saturday night gigs.
1960:  "Kiddio" by Brook Benton, which would go on to become one of the biggest R&B hits of the 60's, took over at #1.

1960:  Elvis Presley switched directions musically but it didn't matter--his #1 song "It's Now Or Never" was #1 for a third week.  "Walk--Don't Run" from the Ventures was second followed by "The Twist" from Chubby Checker. 
1962:  The Elvis Presley movie Kid Galahad opened in theaters.
1964:  Dean Martin's hit "Everybody Loves Somebody" spent a fifth week at #1 on the Easy Listening chart.
1964:  The Supremes remained at #1 on the R&B chart with "Where Did Our Love Go".
1966:  The Youngbloods recorded one of The Most Important Songs of the Rock Era*--"Get Together".  It didn't fare well initially--it took over a year before the song was back and became a big hit.
1966:  Paul Anka hosted the final Hullabaloo show on NBC-TV with guests Peter & Gordon, Lesley Gore and the Cyrkle.

1966:  The Beatles closed their American tour at Candlestick Park in San Francisco California.  As events would unfold, it would be their last public concert.  The last song played by the Fab Four?  Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally".
1969:  Bob Seger filed for divorce from his wife of ten months.
1970:  The Isle of Wight Festival was breaking attendance records, even those set by the famous Woodstock Festival, and on day four, the Who, the Doors, Sly & the Family Stone, Joni Mitchell, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Miles Davis, Melanie, John Sebastian, and Lighthouse (performing a second set at the Festival) thrilled the crowd.
1970:  Led Zeppelin, Iron Butterfly, Chilliwack, the Youngbloods and Ides of March performed at the Man-Pop Festival in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
1970:  Anne Murray's first hit "Snowbird" took over at #1 on the Easy Listening chart.
1970:  Cosmo's Factory produced a #1 album for CCR. 

1970:  Probably no coincidence that "War" by Edwin Starr became a #1 song and soon after, American involvement in Vietnam ended.  That generation didn't just whine and complain, they made a stand and got things done.
1976:  Spirit played a reunion concert in Santa Monica, California.  Bassist Mark Andes invited Neil Young on stage for the encore, but a jealous Randy California objected and shoved Young when he hopped on stage.
1977:  Three people were arrested in Memphis, Tennessee for trying to steal the body of Elvis Presley.  As a result, the body was moved to Graceland Mansion in Meditation Garden.
1978:  The Eagles performed at the Miami Baseball Stadium in Miami, Florida.

1981:  Billy Squier closed the second night of the three-day Reading Rock Festival in Reading, England.
1981:  U2, Wang Chung (known then as Huang Chung), Ian Dury and the Blockheads, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Doctor Feelgood and Lindisfarne performed at the two-day Rock on the Tyne Festival in Gateshead, England.
1981:  ELO posted their second #1 album in the U.K. with Time.









                                                 The great album Escape...


1981:  4 by Foreigner was #1 for the second straight week.  Bella Donna from Stevie Nicks took runner-up while Escape by Journey was #3.  Pat Benatar's Precious Time was #4, the Moody Blues stayed at #5 with Long Distance Voyager and Billy Squier was #6 with Don't Say No.








                                    One of rock's greatest classics entered the Top 10 on this date...

1981:  Diana Ross & Lionel Richie reached three weeks at #1 with "Endless Love".  They weren't close to done.  The Pointer Sisters edged up with "Slow Hand" while Joey Scarbury slipped down with the "Theme From 'Greatest American Hero' (Believe It Or Not)".  Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers had #4--"Stop Draggin' My Heart Around".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Jessie's Girl" from Rick Springfield, newcomer Juice Newton was up with "Queen Of Hearts", Ronnie Milsap had a crossover with "(There's) No Gettin' Over Me", Foreigner's great "Urgent" moved from 15 to 8, the Commodores had song #9 with "Lady (You Bring Me Up)" and Journey entered the Top 10 with "Who's Crying Now".
1982:  Dave Edmunds, the Michael Schenker Group, Twisted Sister, Spider, Marillon, and Y&T closed out the three-day Reading Rock Festival in Reading, England.
1984:  U2 began the Unforgettable Fire World Tour at the Town Hall Auditorium in Christchurch, New Zealand.

1986:  The former studio of American Bandstand in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 4548 Market Street was placed on the National Register of Historic Places of the United States.
1987:  "Never Gonna' Give You Up" by Rick Astley reached #1 in the U.K.
1987:  Hysteria hit #1 in the U.K. for Def Leppard.










1987:  Los Lobos hit #1 with their remake of the Ritchie Valens' song "La Bamba".
1987:  Michael Jackson & Siedah Garrett had the top AC hit with "I Just Can't Stop Loving You".










                            The most successful album of their career...


1987:  Whitney by Whitney Houston had been the #1 album every week of its release, which now added up to 10.  Whitesnake's self-titled release was at 2 followed by Bigger and Deffer by L.L. Cool J.  La Bamba from Los Lobs was Fourth with Bad Animals by Heart taking the fifth position.  The rest of the Top 10:  In the Dark by Grateful Dead, U2 was at 7 with The Joshua Tree, Motley Crue's Girls, Girls, Girls was #8, Hysteria from Def Leppard jumped from 36 to 9 and the Soundtrack to "Beverly Hills Cop II" came in #10.
1988:  Michael Jackson was in concert at Roundhay Park in Leeds, England.
1990:  Elton John checked into a rehab center in Chicago Illinois to be treated for bulimia, drinking and drugs.  Good for him--most people don't have the wisdom and the fortitude to recognize when they need assistance.
1991:  Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers kicked off their national tour at Fiddlers Amphitheatre in Denver, Colorado.
1992:  The Smashing Pumpkins, Public Enemy, and the Manic Street Preachers performed on the second day of the Reading Rock Festival in Reading, England.
1992:  U2 became the second rock act to perform at Yankee Stadium (Billy Joel was the first), with two shows at the legendary baseball venue.
1992:  Elton John spent a sixth week at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "The One", his 43rd hit on that chart.

1992:  Boyz II Men continued to have the top R&B song with "End Of The Road".
1994:  Oasis released their debut album Definitely Maybe.
1995:  The pilot of a helicopter and the cameramen shooting the Meat Loaf video "I'd Lie For You" were killed in the Sequoia National Forest about 150 miles north of Los Angeles.
1996:  Isaac Hayes, co-writer of the song "Soul Man", mailed a letter to presidential candidate Bob Dole requesting that he cease using his song, which supporters had changed to "I'm A Dole Man".  Don't these people realize that you have to have permission to use someone's song?
1999:  Cher was in concert at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada for a live HBO special.



1999:  Lou Bega topped the chart with "Mambo No. 5".
2000:  These aren't the kind of people you invite to your house for fancy dinners.  After winning Best Single and Best International Live Act at the Kerrang! Awards in London, the members of Slipknot attacked each other, smashed their glasses and set fire to the table.  It's called the regressing of mankind.







2003:  Metallica gave a show at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City for members of their fan club only.
2003:  Bobby Brown was released from the DeKalb County Jail after he served his seven days in jail for violating parole, but he would remain under house arrest for 60 days.
2003:  Thom Yorke of Radiohead joined R.E.M. onstage at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for the songs "E-Bow The Letter" and "It's The End of the World As We Know It".  How prophetic was R.E.M.?
2004:  OutKast captured MTV Video Music Awards for Video of the Year, Best Hip-Hop Video, Special Effects and Art Direction for their video "Hey Ya".
2004:  Green Day, 50 Cent, Placebo, and the Lostprophets performed on the final day of the Reading Festival in Leeds and Reading, England.
2004:  Natasha Bedingfield owned the top song in the U.K. with "These Words".
2005:  Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age collapsed from exhaustion during a concert in Hamburg, Germany.
2006:  Jumpin' Gene Simmons ("Haunted House") died in his hometown of Tupelo, Mississippi at the age of 73.  
2007:  The Police began their reunion tour at Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.



Born This Day:
1924:  Dinah Washington ("Baby (You Got What It Takes)" with Brook Benton), was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama; died of drugs December 14, 1963 in Detroit, Michigan.
1924:  Billy Myles ("The Joker" from 1957) was born in Manhattan, New York; died October 9, 2005 in Greenville, North Carolina at the age of 81.  (Note:  some websites say Myles was born in Harlem, New York.  Harlem is a neighborhood in Manhattan and will never be listed on an official birth certificate.)
1942:  Sterling Morrison, guitarist and one of the founding members of Velvet Underground, was born in East Meadow, New York; died August 30, 1995 of non-Hodgekin's lymphoma in Poughkeepsie, New York at the age of 53.  (Note:  some sources report Morrison's birthday as August 28, but official news reports, as well as the book  'The Velvet Underground Companion: Four Decades of Commentary', show his birth as August 29.)
1943:  Dick Halligan, trombonist and a founding member of Blood, Sweat & Tears, was born in Troy, New York.
1945:  Chris Copping, bass guitarist and organist of Procol Harum, was born in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England.  (Note:  some websites report Chris was born in Middleton, Lancashire, England, but according to the official website for Procol Harum, Copping was born in Southend-on-Sea.)
1953:  Rick Downey, drummer of Blue Oyster Cult

1958:  Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana; died June 25, 2009 in Los Angeles from homocide at the age of 53 after being administered the drugs propofol and lorazepam by his doctor.
1970:  Carl Martin of Shai
1975:  Kyle Cook, lead guitarist of Matchbox 20, was born in Frankfort, Indiana.
1980:  David Desrosiers, bassist of Simple Plan, was born in Sept-Îles, Quebec, Canada.

This Date in Rock Music History: August 28

1961:  Elvis Presley moved from 61 to 26 on this date with "Little Sister".
1962:  Elvis Presley reported for pre-production work on the movie It Happened at the World's Fair in Culver City, California to record songs for the soundtrack album.  Presley would then travel to Seattle, Washington, site of the World's Fair, to film the movie on location.  (Note:  some websites report Elvis began filming the movie on August  27 or 28.  According to the book 'The Elvis Movies' by James L. Neibaur, filming began August 27.  But according to the official website for Graceland, Presley began work on the movie August 28.  Filming of the movie in Seattle did not begin until September 5 )
1963:  Peter, Paul & Mary performed "Blowin' In The Wind" and "If I Had A Hammer" for Civil Rights marchers gathered at the Washington Mall in Washington, D.C. to hear the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. speak.  Bob Dylan and Joan Baez also performed.















1964:  The Beatles were on the cover of Life Magazine.
1965:  Bob Dylan played his electric material for an audience at the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in Queens, New York and was booed roundly.  Afterwards, we have Dylan to thank for introducing the Beatles, who met him backstage, to marijuana.
1965:  The Rolling Stones signed a five-year contract with Decca Records and also announced that Allen Klein, whom the group met four days previously at the London Hilton Hotel, would co-manage the group along with Andrew Long Oldham.














1965:  "Eve Of Destruction" from Barry McGuire moved from 58 to 27 on this date.
1966:  The Beatles performed before 45,000 fans in Dodger Stadium on their final tour of the United States.  Bobby Hebb, the Cyrkle and the Ronettes opened.  A plan to escape the cheering crowds backfired when a gate was locked.  The Fab Four had to spend two hours in the back of an armored truck before they could leave.

















  1967:  The Rascals released the single "How Can I Be Sure".

1967:  The Kinks and The Crazy World of Arthur Brown appeared at the Hastings Stadium Festival of Music in Hastings, England.
1968:  The Beatles began recording the track "Dear Prudence" at Trident Studios in London, one of three sessions devoted to the song.
1967:  The Jeff Beck Group headlined the list of performers on the final day of the Festival of the Flower Children at Woburn Abbey in England.  
1968:  The Beach Boys landed at #1 in the U.K. with "Do It Again".
1968:  Bookends by Simon & Garfunkel was the #1 album in the U.K.
1969:  Paul and Linda McCartney announced the birth of daughter Mary.
1970:  Derek and the Dominos began work on their only studio album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs.
1970:  It was the second day of the famous Isle of Wight Festival, and Chicago, Procol Harum, Lighthouse, Tony Joe White, and Taste featuring Rory Gallagher performed.  The Festival drew an estimated crowd of 600,000 to 700,000 over four days. 

1971:  Elvis Presley was honored as the sixth honoree of the Bing Crosby Award, joining its namesake, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Irving Berlin.  The recipient is determined by vote of the National Board of Trustees of NARAS, the record academy.  The organization is best known for its Grammy Awards which are given annually for performing and technical achievements in current recordings. The description on the award is that it is given to recording artists who "during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic or scientific significance to the field of phonograph records."  (Note:  most sources incorrectly say that Elvis received the award on September 8, but he received the award in his dressing room at the International Hotel in Las Vegas between shows, according to the book 'Elvis Presley:  A Life In Music' by Ernst Jorgensen.)

1971:  "Beginnings" by Chicago was the top Easy Listening song.
1971:  Aretha Franklin's "Spanish Harlem" was the #1 R&B song.















                                                                  One of the classics....from Five Man Electrical Band...


1971:  The Bee Gees owned the top song for a fourth week with "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart".  John Denver moved up with "Take Me Home, Country Roads" while Canada's Five Man Electrical Band had a solid winner with "Signs".













                                                                            Rod Stewart's first big solo album...


1971:  Carole King from Stanley, Idaho made it 11 straight weeks at #1 withe the top album Tapestry.  Paul & Linda McCartney combined but couldn't topple her with Ram.  James Taylor's Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon remained at 3 while Rod Stewart was approaching that group with Every Picture Tells a Story.  The rest of the Top 10:  The Carpenters were at 5 with their self-titled album, Who's Next by the Who moved into the Top 10, Aqualung by Jethro Tull was #7, the Moody Blues rose from 30 to 8 in only their second week with Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, the Soundtrack to "Jesus Christ Superstar" was still at #9 after 41 weeks and B, S & T 4 from Blood, Sweat & Tears was the final entry.
1972:  Alice Cooper owned the #1 U.K. song with "School's Out".








1976:  "Shower The People" by James Taylor was the leading Easy Listening song.
1976:  K.C. and the Sunshine Band had the #1 R&B song with "(Shake Shake Shake) Shake Your Booty".























 
                                                Seals & Crofts with their great summer song...


1976:  Elton John & Kiki Dee had the #1 song for a fourth week with "Don't Go Breaking My Heart".  The Bee Gees were not giving up with "You Should Be Dancing".  Wings remained at 3 with "Let 'Em In", Lou Rawls had a solid #4 with "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" and England Dan & John Ford Coley's first hit--"I'd Really Love to See You Tonight" was still at 5.  The rest of the Top 10:  "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" from K.C. and the Sunshine Band, Wild Cherry with their only hit "Play That Funky Music", Walter Murphy's instrumental "A Fifth of Beethoven" moved from 12-7, Seals & Crofts were still at #9 after 20 weeks of release with "Get Closer" and George Benson moved in with "This Masquerade". 







1976:  The album Frampton Comes Alive! was so good that it was now in its third run at #1 (five weeks total).  The self-titled Fleetwood Mac was moving back up after 57 weeks, Spitfire by Jefferson Starship was third while Neil Diamond held on to 4 with Beautiful Noise.  The rest of the Top 10:  George Benson's excellent Breezin' at #5, Wings at the Speed of Sound coming in at #6, Boz Scaggs and the smooth Silk Degrees entering the Top 10, 15 Big Ones from the Beach Boys, the Average White Band did some Soul Searching and Chicago X came in at #10.
1977:  The Doobie Brothers, Hawkwind and the Motors helped close out the three-day Reading Festival in Reading, England.
1978:  Devo released the album Are We Not Men? in the United States.
















1978:  Donna Summer released her remake of "MacArthur Park".  (Note:  some websites naively say the song was released September 24.  "MacArthur Park" debuted on the 'Billboard' Singles chart on September 9, according to 'Billboard' magazine itself.  It is physically impossible for a song to be included on the Singles chart if it has not been released as a single.)

1978:  Gino Vannelli released the 45 "I Just Wanna' Stop".

1981:  Guy Stevens, who produced the Clash, Free and Mott the Hoople, died at the age of 38 in London from an overdose of prescription drugs.

1982:  Queen appeared at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri.  Billy Squier opened for the group.

1982:  Iron Maiden, Blackfoot, and Gary Moore performed on the second day at the annual Reading Rock Festival in Reading, England.

 

1982:  Chicago led the way on the AC chart with "Hard To Say I'm Sorry".

1984:  The Jacksons broke the existing record for concert ticket sales (1.1 million) in two months for their Victory Tour.  The tour would go on to gross $75 million with two million tickets sold.

1986:  Tina Turner earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1988:  The Kylie Minogue album Kylie became the top-selling ever in the U.K. by a female artist with sales of nearly two million.

1993:  Blur, Radiohead, and Siouxie and the Banshees performed on the second day of the Reading Rock Festival in Reading, England.

 

1993:  Culture Beat had the top U.K. song with "Mr. Vain".

1993:  The new Billy Joel album River of Dreams debuted at #1.

1993:  SWV had a big R&B hit with the #1 "Right Here/"Human Nature".

1994:  The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Soundgarden helped close out the three-day Reading Festival in Reading, England.

1999:  Cheap Trick celebrated their 25th anniversary together with a concert at Davis Park in Rockford, Illinois.  Slash of Guns N' Roses joined them onstage.

2000: The Foo Fighters, Primal Scream, Oasis, Limp Bizkit, the Bluetones, and Muse performed on the final day of the Reading Festival in Reading, England.

2003:  Missy Elliott captured Video of the Year honors for "Work It" at the MTV Video Music Awards.  Justin Timberlake won Best Male Video for "Cry Me a River" while Coldplay won both Best Group Video and Breakthrough Video for "The Scientist".

2004:  Lou Rawls was given an honorary doctorate degree from Wilberforce University in Kettering, Ohio in recognition of his work on behalf of the United Negro College Fund.

2004:  The White Stripes, Franz Ferdinand, and Morrissey performed on the second day of the Carling Weekend  Reading Festival in Leeds and Reading, England.

 

2005:  Green Day had quite a comeback with "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" as it won seven awards, including Video of the Year, at the MTV Video Music Awards.  Kanye West won Best Male Video for "Jesus Walks" while Kelly Clarkson took home Best Female Video for "Since U (sic) Been Gone".  What was ironic was that the channel quit showing music videos back when the suits took over from the DJ's. 

2005:  Oasis had the top U.K. song with "The Importance Of Being Idle", the group's eighth #1 song in their native country.

2005:  James Blunt led the way on the U.K. Album chart with Back to Bedlam.

2005:  Hillary Duff had the top album in the United States with Most Wanted.

2005:  Green Day won seven MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams".

2008:  Iron Maiden and Incubus headlined the final day of the Reading Festival in Reading and Leeds, England.

2008:  Gilbert Moorer, lead singer of the Esquires ("Get On Up" from 1967), died of throat cancer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the age of 67.

2009:  Noel Gallagher of Oasis quit the group, saying he could no longer work with brother Liam.

2009:  The Los Angeles coroner confirmed that Michael Jackson's death was a homicide, caused chiefly by the anesthetic Propofol.  The drug triggered a cardiac arrest to Jackson at his home in Los Angeles on June 25 at the age of 50.  Jackson's personal physician, Conrad Murray, was charged with and convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison.  (Note:  some websites claim the coroner made his announcement on August 29.  The stories made the newspapers the morning of August 29, which, as most informed people know, means that the news happened the day before, August 28.)

2010:  A memorial for Dan Fogelberg was unveiled in Riverfront Park in his hometown of Peoria, Illinois.

Born This Day:

1904:  Ernie Fields, who hit #4 in 1959 with his remake of "In The Mood", was born in Nacogdoches, Texas; died May 11, 1997 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Note:  the notorious 'Allmusic.com' and other websites claim Fields was born on August 26, 1905.  Far from it--according to the books 'Blues:  A Regional Experience' by Bob L. Eagle and Eric S. LeBlanc and 'Handbook of Texas Music' by Laurie E. Jasinski and the Texas State Historical Association, Ernie was born August 28, 1904.)

1925:  Billy Grammer ("Gotta' Travel On" from 1958) was born in Benton, Illinois; died of natural causes August 10, 2011 in Benton after suffering a heart attack that March.

1931:  John Perkins of the Crewcuts was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
1937:  Clem Cattini, drummer of the Tornados ("Telstar"), and prolific session musician featured on a record 44 #1 songs in the U.K., was born in Stoke Newington, London. 

1941:  Joseph Shabalala, founder of the group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, was born in Ladysmith, South Africa.

1942:  Sterling Morrison, guitarist of Velvet Underground, was born in East Meadow, New York; died from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in Poughkeepsie, New York August 30, 1995.  (Note:  some websites report Morrison was born in Long Island, New York.  Long Island is not a city, and you will never see it on an official birth certificate.)

1943:  David Soul, actor and singer ("Don't Give Up On Us" from 1977) was born in Chicago, Illinois.

1943:  Honey Lantree, drummer of the Honeycombs ("Have I The Right"), was born in Hayes, Middlesex, England.  (Note:  some websites mistakenly say Lantree was born in London.  In 1943, when Honey was born, Hayes was located in the county of Middlesex--it wasn't until 1965 when Hayes became part of the London Borough of Hillingdon.)

1948:  Daniel Seraphine, drummer of Chicago, was born in Chicago, Illinois.

1949:  Martin Lamble, drummer of Fairport Convention, was born in St. John's Wood, London, England; died May 12, 1969 from a car crash on the M1 motorway.

1951:  Wayne Osmond of the Osmonds was born in Ogden, Utah.

1951:  Dave Hlubek, lead guitarist and a founding member of Molly Hatchet, was born in Jacksonville, Florida.

1961:  Kim Appleby of Mel and Tim ("Respectable" from 1987), was born in Stoke Newington, London.  (Note:  some websites claim Appleby was born in Stockton-On-Tees, Durham, England. London, and some say she was born in Stoke Newington, London,  England.  Although there are no credible sources for her birthplace, our best research indicates she was born in Stoke Newington.)

 

1965:  Shania Twain was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

1982:  LeAnn Rimes was born in Jackson, Mississippi.

Five Best!

As you know, YouTube videos aren't always long-lasting, and we've gone through and made sure all the links are working on our popular Five Best* category.  (And let me tell you, the category is getting so extensive it took us a considerable amount of time!) 

So make sure you catch all the fresh videos before they are gone!